Sliding door wardrobe



Sept. 27, 1933. I. BLECHM'AN 2,131,367

SLIDING DOOR WARDROBE Filed Dec. 8, 1937 2 sheets-sheet 1 [Fri/m ELEM/W 'A'ITORNEYS Patented Sept. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLIDING DOOR WARDROBE Irving Blechman, Bronx N. Y. Application December 8, 1937, Serial No.'1'i8,652

2 Claims. (oi. 312-144) This invention relates to containers for the I Storage of clothing and has particular reference to an improved wardrobe or cabinet typecontainer for suspending clothing therein in a neat and unfolded condition and for storing articles therein on the bottom thereof.

The invention comprehends a wardrobe or cabinet composed of interfltted .sections so constructed and arranged as to facilitate the asseml0 bly thereof into container formation and the disassembly thereof into collapsed compact condition for shipment.

The invention provides a wardrobe or cabinet of the foregoing construction provided with a rectangular door frame interfltted with the wall sections thereof and with a pair. ofcooperating vertically sliding closures for gaining access to the clothing suspended in the upper part thereof and stored in the bottom thereof.

The invention more specifically embodies a wardrobe or cabinet of the indicated character having a rectangular door frame composed of vertical side stiles having longitudinally extending grooves in their outer side edges for receiving the longitudinal free edges of the side wall section and with a pair of longitudinally extending guide grooves in the confronting side edges thereof for guidedly receiving a pair of closures for vertical sliding movement therein, and transso verse end strips connecting the side stiles at the opposite 'ends' thereof and projecting outwardly therefrom to interflt with the end. sections of the container.

With the foregoing and other objects in view,

5 reference is now made to the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

40 Fig. 1 is a front view of a wardrobe or cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrated with the lower closure in open relation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view 5 taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. i.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. i.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper closure panel. 50 Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of P18. 1.

Referring to the drawings by characters ofends of the body section, and a rectangular door frame l3 interfltting with the body and end sections and which frame has mounted therein a pair of sliding closures for vertical movement for gaining access to the upper and lower portions 5 of the cabinet.

The body section It forms the main wall section of the wardrobe or cabinet and includes a vertically disposed rear wall Opposite side walls l5 and i6 and front wall portions l1 and l0 l3. The said section is preferably formed from a sheet of inexpensive fibrous material, such as corrugated cardboard, paperboard or other lightweight stock, with the walls and wall portions integrally and hingedly connected together. The 16 end sections H and I2 form the end walls I!) and 20 of the wardrobe or cabinet and are constructed of similar light-weight flbrous material and which end walls. I 3 and 20 have inwardly directed integi'al flanged edges 2|, surrounded by 9. rec- 20 tangular rigid marginal frame 22.

The rectangular door'frame I3 is preferably constructed from wooden strips and includes vertical sidestiles 23 and 23, and transverse end strips 23 and 26 connected to the-side stiles at 5 the ends thereof. The vertical side stiles 23 and 24 have their outer side edges provided with a longitudinally extending groove 21 of a width to snugly receive and hold the free edges of the front wall portions I1 and I3, while the inner so confronting side edges of the side stiles 23 and 24 areeach provided with a pair of longitudinally extending guide grooves 23 and 23, and in which guide grooves the closures and 3| are mounted for. vertical sliding movement therein. The transverse end strips 25 and 28 project outwardly beyond the ends of the side stiles 23 and 24 and flt within the end sections II and I2 adjacent the forward flanged edge thereof with the forward side of the marginal flanges 22 abuto ting against the end edges of the vertical stiles 23 and 23.

The closures 33 and 3| are preferably made of single face corrugated cardboard panels with the corrugations exposed as illustrated. The lateral 5 side edges of the closure 30 are disposed in the longitudinally extending grooves 28 in the side stiles 23 and 24 for vertical sliding movement to positions for closing and opening the upper portion of the container and are provided with rigid transverse cleats 32 and 33 at the opposite ends thereof. The cleats 32 ahd 33 have their opposite ends rabbeted as-at 3t] to slidably engage within the grooves 28. Theiupper portion of the corrugated panel of the gclofure 30 is received by as prising flanged end sections,

the lower rear rabbeted portion 3 of the cleat 32 and the upper forward rabbeted portion 30 of the cleat 32 engages behind the end strip 25 when the closure is in closed position to thereby seal the juncture of the closure with the end strip. The cleat 32 and the end strip 25 are provided with any suitable type of cooperating spring latch and keeper elements I! and 38 for automatically securing the closure 30 in closed condition when the cleat 32 abuts against the end strip 25.

The lateral side edges of the closure 3| are disposed in the longitudinally extending grooves 20 in the side stiles '23 and 24 for vertical sliding movement to positions for closing and opening the lower portion of the container and have rigid Itransverse cleats 38 and 39 secured to the upper and lower ends thereof. The cleats 38 and l! have their opposite ends rabbeted as at ll to slidably engage within the grooves 28. the lower portion of the cleat is of the closure II is adapted to engage behind the lower end strip 26 and abut with a cross strip I! secured to the strip 26 when the closure is in closed position to thereby seal the juncture of the closure with the end strip. The closures ill and 3| overlap at their inner ends when in closed condition with the cleats 33 and 38 in superposed relation and with the lower portion of the panel of the closure 30 disposed therebetween to thereby effectively seal the juncture thereof. The cleat I! is provided with a handle knob 43 for manually raising the closure 3| to open relation.

What is claimed is:

1. A cabinet for the storage of clothing coma body section including vertically disposed integrally connected rear and opposite side walls and oppositely disposed front wall portions joined to the side walls, a rectangular door frame composed of vertical side stiles and transverse end strips connected to the side stiles at the ends thereof, said side stiles having longitudinally extending grooves in the outer side edges thereof for receiving the free edges of the front wall portions, and said side stiles each having a pair of longitudinally extending guide grooves in the inner confrontin side edges thereof, and said transverse end strips projecting beyond the ends of the side stiles and interfitted with the end sections, and a pair of closures slidably arranged in said guide grooves respectively in overlapping relation, one of said closures being slidable downwardly for gaining access to the upper portion of the container and the other closure being slidable upwardly for gaining access to the lower portion of the container, and cooperating means on the upper portion of one of said closures and on the lower portion of the other for sealing the juncture of the closures when in closed condition.

2. In a cabinet for the storage of clothing including flanged end sections, a foldable body and a separable front section comprising a rectangular door frame composed of permanently connected rigid side stiles and end strips, the side stiles having longitudinally extending grooves in the confronting inner surfaces thereof, upper and lower lightweight closure panelsfittedat the side edges within said grooves, said upper closure panel being slidable downward for gaining access to the upper portion of the cabinet and said lower closure-being slidable upward for gaining access to the lower portion of the cabinet, rigid transverse cleats secured respectively to the upper and lower ends of said panels, said cleats having rabbeted portions to fit within the grooves and to receive the end edges of the panels, the upper cleat on one of said panels and the lower cleai on the other of said panels overlapping and cooperating to seal the juncture of the panels wher in closed condition, and said end strips and the remaining cleats on said panels having cooperating angularly disposed overlapping faces respectively for sealing the juncture of the panels witl the ends of the door frame when in closed condi' tion and said end strips of the door frame pro jecting beyond the ends of the side stiles ant interfltted with the end sections.

IRVING BLECHMAN. 

